Piper is interested in how variations in bedrock, weathering rates, and water storage affect tree drought vulnerability. Her goal is to better understand belowground processes to make sense of patterns of intraspecific variation in tree hydraulic stress. She is using a combination of in situ measurements and remote sensing for her work. She graduated from UCSB in Spring 2022 with a B.S in physical geography. She fell in love with field work while working on NASA's Surface biology and geology HIgh Frequency Time series (SHIFT) campaign in Spring 2022.